Q&A with trainer Al Stall Jr.

Trainer Al Stall Jr. is racing in Kentucky and Louisiana.

With seven wins and a second in 12 thoroughbred starters at Churchill Downs this fall, Al Stall Jr. possesses a meet-leading 58 percent strike rate among trainers with more than three starts and is one behind meet leader Dale Romans in the win standings. Going 3 for 4 to close out Keeneland's meet, Stall has won 10 of his last 16 races in the commonwealth, including the win by Sign in the Pocahontas on Churchill's opening day.

Tthings are going so well that, while in his hometown of New Orleans to check on his Louisiana division, Stall was on hand when his beloved NFL Saints beat previously unbeaten Atlanta on Sunday. The C-J's Jennie Rees caught up with Stall by telephone:

Did you expect this big a fall?

Things are just falling into place. We thought we'd have a good fall, just because things were going so well. The first couple of starts at Keeneland were a little weird. The Alcibiades (third with Magical Moon) was an awkward trip. The Hawthorne Gold Cup was an awkward trip with (runner-up) Cease, and that monsoon leading up to the Hawthorne Derby (third with Lea over soft turf). Then everything started really popping. That's how this game is.

What made you think you'd have a good fall?

We've got more horses now in Kentucky than we've had - in the past. That's A. ­B., they're nice horses, and the most important thing is that they were all doing well. Everything is happening just right. We got into some races that fit, and we drew nice posts.

Do you think you can win the training title?

I doubt it, just because of the numbers. I counted maybe 12 to 14 or 15 horses still to run if everything goes right. Dale probably will run 30.

What stakes action do you have left this meet?

Sign won't go in the Golden Rod. We want to give her a little breather and point for the Oaks preps down here (at the Fair Grounds) and get to the Kentucky Oaks in the best shape we can possibly do. Cease will go in the Clark. Lea will run in the Commonwealth Saturday. And we've got Cheery in the Dream Supreme. We'll be kind of busy for a 20-horse barn. And we'll be running Central Banker (a five-length allowance winner opening day) in the Delta Jackpot (Saturday).

When you're on a roll, do you maybe take a shot that you might not have otherwise?

Like wheeling something back (in another race)? Oh, yeah. Forget about the stats, and I promise you I don't worry about those things. But I think every trainer in the fall meet at Churchill is more willing to wheel a horse back, because it's kind of a last call before everybody spreads out and you go to tracks with lesser purses and Oaklawn doesn't open until January.

And our "second run" 2-year-olds start showing up about this time. By second run, I mean one that might have had a shin or something else.

Any of those 2-year-olds you want to mention?

We don't have any (more) Signs. But we've got a colt (Bemata) for Friday and an Arch colt who worked pretty good the other day named Ration. But he doesn't seem like the "first time out" type. The most interesting horse we have to run the rest of the meet here would be (3-year-old filly) Applauding. People have forgotten about her. She broke the track record at Keeneland first time out, and then just destroyed them at the Fair Grounds. She's been off 111/2 months. It was all systemic. It wasn't anything "boney."